Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on May 25, 2019 18:07:36 GMT
As someone who isn't particularly a fan of Elton John the musician, or interested in Elton John the man, I really just went to see this on a whim, as I was at a loose end today and I hadn't been to the cinema in a month. It turns out that you really don't have to be interested in Elton John or his music to enjoy this charming and rather joyous semi-musical.
It was a real treat, both for the eyes and the ears; mostly finding a solid balance when it came to telling a true story, but through a fantastical lens. It's wonderfully high camp when the time is right, but its is also grim when the moments come to justify it. However, unlike a certain recent musical biopic; it manages to be grim and show us a real hint of rock bottom, without being unnecessarily judgmental.
We can also be thankful that because some PG kinda rating wasn't being chased, a more adult and honest portrayal of a gay, music icon could be told. A reasonably candid portrayal of the wild lifestyle of Elton John is put to screen here, without ever being too much. Personally, I would have had no objection to a few more scenes of Richard Madden and Taron Egerton getting it on, but I fail to see what it would have added to the film outside of superfluous run-time. I still expect I'll read some articles in the coming days / weeks complaining that the film played down this side of old Reggie. This of course would be a shame, as I thought it dealt rather well with his conflicts about his sexuality.
If the film has one minor / semi-noteworthy flaw, it would be that some of it's more heavy emotional beats are kinda poorly written and somewhat clunkily placed. I suppose you could say that it could have been paced a little better overall. Still, when the writing works, which is the majority of the time, it works very well. Occasionally the musical numbers are a little uninspired, but again, when they work; they really work and some of them are actually rather great. I particularly loved the 'Pinball Wizard' sequence.
The cast are almost universally on their A Games. Jamie Bell deserves a lot of praise, and I hope he gets some and isn't forgotten about when the more than worthy raves flow in for Egerton. They are a fantastic pair, full to the brim with chemistry; both totally believable as their half of one of musics most enduring friendships and creative partnerships. Matthew Illesley and Kit Connor are both great as young and slightly less young Reg Dwight. Kit Connor in particular steals the show in the first thirty minutes of the film. I was genuinely disappointed when he was aged out of the film. Thankfully Egerton takes the reins with aplomb, and right from his first scene in the origins part of the story, he is on point and for the entire film he is never off it. His Elton is no mere imitation; this is a fully formed and lived in character. I have no idea how things will shake out come award season, but I would have no objection to Egerton and Bell being a part of it. Bryce Dallas Howard and Steven Mackintosh offer capable support as the uncaring parents and Richard Madden plays a very convincing shithead, but this is all about Bernie and the three Eltons.
This year has a long way to go, but I don't expect to see another film which delivers so much, when I expected so little.
9/10
It was a real treat, both for the eyes and the ears; mostly finding a solid balance when it came to telling a true story, but through a fantastical lens. It's wonderfully high camp when the time is right, but its is also grim when the moments come to justify it. However, unlike a certain recent musical biopic; it manages to be grim and show us a real hint of rock bottom, without being unnecessarily judgmental.
We can also be thankful that because some PG kinda rating wasn't being chased, a more adult and honest portrayal of a gay, music icon could be told. A reasonably candid portrayal of the wild lifestyle of Elton John is put to screen here, without ever being too much. Personally, I would have had no objection to a few more scenes of Richard Madden and Taron Egerton getting it on, but I fail to see what it would have added to the film outside of superfluous run-time. I still expect I'll read some articles in the coming days / weeks complaining that the film played down this side of old Reggie. This of course would be a shame, as I thought it dealt rather well with his conflicts about his sexuality.
If the film has one minor / semi-noteworthy flaw, it would be that some of it's more heavy emotional beats are kinda poorly written and somewhat clunkily placed. I suppose you could say that it could have been paced a little better overall. Still, when the writing works, which is the majority of the time, it works very well. Occasionally the musical numbers are a little uninspired, but again, when they work; they really work and some of them are actually rather great. I particularly loved the 'Pinball Wizard' sequence.
The cast are almost universally on their A Games. Jamie Bell deserves a lot of praise, and I hope he gets some and isn't forgotten about when the more than worthy raves flow in for Egerton. They are a fantastic pair, full to the brim with chemistry; both totally believable as their half of one of musics most enduring friendships and creative partnerships. Matthew Illesley and Kit Connor are both great as young and slightly less young Reg Dwight. Kit Connor in particular steals the show in the first thirty minutes of the film. I was genuinely disappointed when he was aged out of the film. Thankfully Egerton takes the reins with aplomb, and right from his first scene in the origins part of the story, he is on point and for the entire film he is never off it. His Elton is no mere imitation; this is a fully formed and lived in character. I have no idea how things will shake out come award season, but I would have no objection to Egerton and Bell being a part of it. Bryce Dallas Howard and Steven Mackintosh offer capable support as the uncaring parents and Richard Madden plays a very convincing shithead, but this is all about Bernie and the three Eltons.
This year has a long way to go, but I don't expect to see another film which delivers so much, when I expected so little.
9/10